This is the third part of our mini-series on how to have a beautiful wedding without breaking the bank. In this article, in an effort to give you some great tips on how to possibly save on your big day, we take a look at the dress, the Bridal party and a dress theme, as these are all, in a way, linked. Remember the key word is ‘beautiful’ – There are many ways to save on a wedding, but you still want this to be a beautiful wedding, so our advice all points in that direction. We advised you, for example, to still look into a beautiful venue instead of just having the wedding at home, because certain venues do offer really good deals and free items that can also save you money!

The dress – Similar to the ring, we suggest that to save money here, you need to do some extensive shopping around, especially online, as some real bargains can be had there. Before you even do that though, as we suggested with the ring, look into what may be in the family. Once again Grandma’s dress with exquisitely fine lace may be ideal for your current ‘vintage’ wedding theme! I knew a woman marrying for the second time in her fifties who modified the wedding dress of her daughter who had married a couple of years before. It was beautiful!

The Bridesmaids and Groomsmen – This is another area where savings can be made. Skip the engagement party altogether and make sure you are not involved in costs for any ‘lead up’ events – save it all for the big day! Although it is traditional to assist with the bridesmaid’s dresses and Groomsmen outfits and to give gifts, remember these are usually your closest friends and will understand if you forgo those areas of tradition. Keep the number of people in these parties down too and ask if they won’t mind paying for their own outfits … or if they are as broke as you are, maybe go with the next idea…

A low cost dress theme – I know of a few couples who cut costs and saved everyone else money too, by deciding to have a ‘dress theme’ wedding that involved very low cost outfits. One I attended was at a great venue in the city, but the theme was ‘beach bum’ and everyone was in their swim gear and Bermuda shorts! The decor was also just sea shells and seaweed …all cost savers and because the venue assisted to create the atmosphere nobody had to travel all the way to the coast for a real beach wedding. Another theme was a Roman ‘toga’ theme and it didn’t take much more than a few sheets and broaches to gear out the whole bridal party!

Contact us to assist with many aspects of helping you to have a beautiful wedding without breaking the bank. We also have a brilliant online wedding planner e-book just to ensure you cover all the bases and the price is the best part of all …it’s absolutely free!